We present a challenge for those in enduring partnerships who enjoy the horror genre: Settle in with your significant other and watch Together. The independent film success of 2025 has now made its launch on a streaming platform on the Hulu service. At first glance, it might appear like typical body horror, but beneath Together resides a deep meditation about our choices in loving our partners.
A Directorial Debut Delving into Relationship Dynamics
Together is the first full-length movie for filmmaker Michael Shanks. It features Dave Franco and Alison Brie as Millie and Tim, an unmarried couple that have stayed together for over ten years. Having wed in actuality in 2017, the actors contribute a particular energy to their characters, masterfully depicting both the good and bad of a enduring union.
The plot starts when Millie and Tim relocate from the big city to the countryside for professional reasons. A somewhat stereotypical plot device, of course, but that’s primarily where the cliches conclude. Together transforms into as much a deep dive into the psyche of the partnership as it is a body horror flick.
A Supernatural Catalyst
While trekking near their country house, a storm hits, and the protagonists tumble into an subterranean cavern. After a night spent there and finally finding a way out, a supernatural entity starts to affect the pair. This force compels a paranormal intimacy between them that goes exceeding typical partnership.
The whole movie is a gradually intensifying horror experience, interspersing bits of hallucinatory nightmares, disturbing (but not excessively graphic) physical transformations, and surprisingly comedic interactions (sometimes during something horrific). Shanks skillfully blends these components neatly and wraps them up in a consistently growing sense of impending doom.
Complex Characterizations
A significant portion of Together is solely the two lead actors, and they skillfully illustrate countless layers to the dynamic between Tim and Millie. Millie's sense of self and sense of connection is deteriorating due to a distance. Her unspoken irritation of Tim for his reluctance to focus on anything other than his struggling artistic pursuits gradually emerges.
In contrast, Tim's character experiences isolation and isolated by Millie, who’s the reason they’ve relocated rural and removed from his support system. He dreads the idea of totally forfeiting his sense of self in his partner. This fear is further exacerbated by the fact he can’t drive and relies on Millie for transportation.
The film's most intelligent aspect in Together never makes Tim or Millie the definite antagonist.
Tim and Millie face the sort of issues that come with most partnerships after ten years. Deep down, they have affection for one another. They find humor with each other, comfort one another, and are vulnerable at times. But under the surface, there’s an persistent current of uncertainty about their bond.
Allegory and Meaning
While the supernatural forces in Together represent these fears of codependency and giving oneself over to a partner, the metaphor does not come across as hamfisted or pretentious. Instead, these ickier, creepier moments provide a brilliant analogue to the character-driven drama. Both the horror and the drama enhance each other in a mutually beneficial way.
A Controversial Conclusion
Together’s ending, which won’t be spoiled here, has created disagreement on the film’s ultimate message about codependent relationships. Accounts suggest that unattached audience members have interpreted the film as a powerful case for staying single. Conversely, some couples who were in conflict found that the film ultimately assisted them resolve their issues.
Regardless of your relationship status, your own interpretation could potentially serve as a great barometer of how you perceive partnership. Will the finale inspire feelings of uneasiness and dread, or a uplifting feeling of optimism? Will you recognize your own traits in one of the characters and scream at your TV, or simply look at your partner and state, “I’d do that for you”?
No matter your reaction, Together is an test you can experience right now.
Together is streaming on Hulu now.
